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A review by allygator
Miles Morales: Spider-Man by Jason Reynolds
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Jason Reynolds and Miles Morales. A match made in heaven. I adore every book Reynolds writes, and I love Miles Morales and his version of Spider-Man more than I can put into words. While this wasn't exactly the book I thought it would be, it was so good and I had so much fun reading it.
There aren't as many Spider-Man hijinks as I assumed there would be -- in fact, a lot of the plot is centered around Miles struggling with his powers and whether he even wants to use them anymore. This paired with Reynolds' excellent-as-always commentary on race and class issues made for one of the most interesting and grounded superhero stories I've had the pleasure of experiencing. It has moments of very heightened reality (that final battle, anyone??), but it also talks about how hard it is for Miles to go to school in a very wealthy, very white community when he is neither rich nor white. His struggles with his position in the social ecosystem make the escapism he feels as Spider-Man even more vital, and make it all the more painful when he feels he has to give that part of him up.
I've seen some reviews claim that the racism Miles experiences from his teachers and administration is overexaggerated and unrealistic. However, as a non-white person who grew up in a prominently white neighborhood, I can assure you that those sorts of micro- and macroaggressions are more common than most white people think. I hurt for Miles when he and the other students of color were targeted, and when his history teacher is a little too fond of the Civil War because it's something that so many kids have to sit through now. Students today are expected to endure racism in the classroom because they lack power, and getting to watch the students in this book stand up for themselves was refreshing and made me feel a little better about the world I live in.
Is this my favorite Jason Reynolds book? No. But it's still very very good and holds a special place in my heart. I highly recommend picking this up if you're interested in a story about a superhero that focuses a little more on the mundane but still has some super fun web-slinging action.
There aren't as many Spider-Man hijinks as I assumed there would be -- in fact, a lot of the plot is centered around Miles struggling with his powers and whether he even wants to use them anymore. This paired with Reynolds' excellent-as-always commentary on race and class issues made for one of the most interesting and grounded superhero stories I've had the pleasure of experiencing. It has moments of very heightened reality (that final battle, anyone??), but it also talks about how hard it is for Miles to go to school in a very wealthy, very white community when he is neither rich nor white. His struggles with his position in the social ecosystem make the escapism he feels as Spider-Man even more vital, and make it all the more painful when he feels he has to give that part of him up.
I've seen some reviews claim that the racism Miles experiences from his teachers and administration is overexaggerated and unrealistic. However, as a non-white person who grew up in a prominently white neighborhood, I can assure you that those sorts of micro- and macroaggressions are more common than most white people think. I hurt for Miles when he and the other students of color were targeted, and when his history teacher is a little too fond of the Civil War because it's something that so many kids have to sit through now. Students today are expected to endure racism in the classroom because they lack power, and getting to watch the students in this book stand up for themselves was refreshing and made me feel a little better about the world I live in.
Is this my favorite Jason Reynolds book? No. But it's still very very good and holds a special place in my heart. I highly recommend picking this up if you're interested in a story about a superhero that focuses a little more on the mundane but still has some super fun web-slinging action.